Similar Keys to Success in Baseball, Government & Franchising

It’s 4AM and I’m wrapping up some unfinished business for the week. Such is one of the perils of being at a conference (this week was Franchise Update Leadership & Development Conference) the better part of the week. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Especially as I think about the extraordinary experience and character I am privileged to be around at franchise events.

And, I am ever so thankful to those franchise professionals that are always, without fail, willing to share their experience, insight and perspective. To those, and they know who they are… my very sincere thanks and appreciation! You are truly leaders in many ways, and ones that exemplify what makes franchising great!

As I was preparing to post the above statement on Facebook and LinkedIn, I came across an article that I believe further wraps up the week for me. In the article, Federal Reserve chief and avid baseball fan Ben Bernanke saluted the playoff-bound Washington Nationals on Friday as an example for gridlocked U.S. government leaders of how to succeed by making wise, patient decisions.

“People decry the absence of leadership in Washington these days. My response: Look no further than the home-team dugout at Nationals Park,” the Fed chairman wrote in an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal’s online edition.

The Nationals just completed the best regular season in their eight-year history, winning the National League Eastern Division with the best record in Major League Baseball. The team begins the playoffs on Sunday in hopes of securing the first World Series berth for a Washington team since 1933.

He said the formula for the team’s success rested heavily on the wisdom and experience of its manager, Davey Johnson.

“He combines the best of two seemingly at-odds managerial traditions,” Bernanke wrote, noting how Johnson used the latest statistical advances as well as old-fashioned scouting.

“Davey is also really good at identifying and nurturing talent. Most strikingly, he has shown himself willing to sacrifice short-term tactical advantage for the long-term benefit of bolstering the confidence of a player in whom he sees great potential,” Bernanke said, citing how Johnson gave under-performing players a chance to improve.

“Many of us in Washington could learn a thing or two from the Nationals’ approach,” Bernanke said.

Well, I believe many of us in franchising could learn a thing or two from this as well…